Consultation on amending Building Regulations to require EV chargepoints

In July 2019, the Department for Transport and Office for Low Emission Vehicles published a consultation proposing amendments to the Building Regulations 2010 for residential and non-residential buildings to include Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure requirements. The consultation closed on 7 October 2019 and the government indicated it intends the changes to come in to force in the first half of 2020.

The consultation proposed:

• Every new residential building with an associated car parking space has a chargepoint.
• Every residential building undergoing major renovation with more than ten car parking spaces has one chargepoint and cable routes for EV chargepoints in every car parking space.
• Every new non-residential building and every non-residential building undergoing a major renovation with more than ten car parking spaces has one chargepoint and cable routes for an EV chargepoint for one in five spaces.
• At least one chargepoint in existing non-residential buildings with more than 20 car parking spaces, applicable from 2025.

The proposals include a number of exemptions from the chargepoint installation requirement, relating mainly to cost implications but also include an exemption for existing non-residential buildings that are SMEs.

Most of the changes would be introduced through a new part to the Building Regulations 2010, although the requirements for existing non-residential buildings with more than 20 car parking spaces to include at least one charge point cannot be introduced in that way, so the government will need to introduce separate legislation and an enforcement regime.

As the use of EVs is on the increase these requirements are likely to impact on the property market sooner rather than later and it is yet another factor for developers, landlords, tenants and property owners to consider.